AI and Cognitive Tech Changing How Brands Connect with Consumers

Peter Prestipino

Posted on 12.18.2016

Location-based digital marketing solution Brandify is launching an experimental, mobile-first incubation environment that will focus on creating experiences for consumers along the path to purchase from online to multi-location retailers, restaurants, dealerships, banks and other places of business.

The Brandify Labs offering will focus on research, innovation and development of marketing technology— "building cognitive solutions, enhancing mobile interactions and driving sales" according to the company.

“Cognitive & mobile technology will be the foundation on which we’re building software assets to accelerate solutions for local marketers,” said Andy Roy, VP of Strategy at Brandify. “Cognitive, mobile, geocoded location data -- the pieces are there, so we are combining them together using the latest tools. National brands already rely on us to publish store hours and driving directions so it’s natural to extend that consumer connection using product recommendations or relevant offers in the moment.”

Reputation management continues to be a top priority for multi-location brands. Local businesses, for example, receive thousands of customer ratings and reviews a day, and must respond not only to specific complaints but evaluate if a location is performing badly with regard to customer service, product quality or the overall experience. For one restaurant chain, the Labs team analyzed 80,000 reviews to not only identify areas for improvement but also analyze sentiment in the reviews.

“We are excited to announce several of our customers have adopted AI and cognitive technologies to create a paradigm shift in how brands connect with consumers. Using machine learning, brands gain deeper insights about their customers and provide more authentic and tailored experiences for their buyers,” said Brandify CEO, Manish Patel. “Multi-location brands are always looking for ways to engage versus interrupt or annoy. We can now imagine a world where products engage in a conversation with consumers during their shopping experience. We are harnessing sentiment analysis, chatbots, and voice search to have a dialog with the Internet of Things (IoT).”